Power Corrupts

History bears testimony that Power Corrupts and Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely. Lord Acton professed this fact that a person’s moral behaviour decreases as his powers of governance and influence increase.

Men and women have truly been tyrants oppressing the people to gain personally in prestige or wealth. Greats who have ruled for centuries, who called for wars and riots, have sacrificed many innocent lives in this rush to attain supremacy. This shows complete lack of rational ability. People are blinded by the rush and strong desire to win at any cost.

The “power game” has reached its peak during our age, the age of democracy. With democracy, it is in everybody’s theoretical reach to gain power over everybody else, indeed making society an eternal struggle between individuals and groups for power. These people, corrupted to the very soul with their pathological quest for power, have in democracy a foundation from which to enslave their fellow men.

Fear, resources, favours are means that corrupt people use to gain advantage over others. A man knowing that he can create havoc amongst innocent masses uses this to his advantage and to the disadvantage of others. Morality is buried under a thick undercurrent of this power and the misuse of it only to gain more power.

How often have we not seen corrupt politicians, monarchs, leaders ? An important part of this history is the continuous “race to the top” among self-centered power seekers, trying to gather as large a number of subjects as possible to rule thus making it a never-ending vicious circle.